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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Random Acts of Kindness

Over the last few years, I have been on the receiving end of a few RAOK in drive through line ups - and most often it has come on a day where I have been cranky. They really do help to put a smile on your face, knowing that someone has gone out of their way to do something kind for a stranger.

The one I remember most, I was pregnant with Mr. K, Mr. J had not slept well the night before, he was cranky in the morning and I was on my way to work. I was absolutely starving, and heading into the timmies drive thru to pick up a bagel and iced tea. When I was heading into the line up, there was a car coming from another direction - I was closer, but I decided that letting them in would be a nice thing to do, and it might make me feel better. When I got up to the window, they had paid for my breakfast and thanked me for letting me go ahead - it definitely put a smile on my face, and changed the outlook I had on the day ahead.

That wasn't the first time I had been the recipient, or the last - and I paid it forward by paying for the car behind me (again, not the first time for that either).

Now that I have been couponing and price matching for awhile, I have a stockpile of coupons that are for products I won't use, and most likely won't trade either. Every now and then, I will be a "coupon fairy" on my grocery trips and leave this coupons with the product they are intended for.

Also, if I am in line and the person in front/behind me has items that are available to be price matched, I will let them use my flyer so they can get the items at a cheaper price. It's amazing how happy it makes them to know that a stranger went out of their way to help them save a little bit of money.

I have decided that I am going to try and perform RAOK weekly (I would say daily, but I am not out everyday) and I hope to get the kids involved with it to. Sometimes, it is something as little as holding the door for someone behind you, or even rushing ahead to get it for someone.

What about you - have you ever been on the receiving end of a RAOK? I would love to hear what it was, and how it made you feel.

Lately RAOK seem to be about driving. I get frustrated driving in traffic and it makes my mood a lot better when someone actually goes out of their way to let me into a lane I need to get into. It should just be courtesy on the road but it's getting more rare.

I'm frequently the recipient of RAOK and my hubby says, "Karma is swift" because I often "give generously" :-) I leave coupons at the local welfare office, drop off sample cans of formula that I don't/can't use to the local health unit, buy two of my fav. item at the grocery store and leave one in the donation box, give spare baby clothes to the Early Years Centre for new parents, etc. There's so many little ways to be kind to your community ...

Random acts of kindness are so awesome! There is a mother and her 2 daughters in my town who are know for this (they stop random people and give them money, $10, $20 or whatever!) and there was a man, too, who randomly stopped some people here and gave them each $100! One of the women who received $100, handed it back out to other people, in smaller amounts! The mother/daughter team was finally identified, but the man never was. I wasn't on the receiving end, but I think it's really wonderful that they do this! I've often left coupons, too, for other people and I often let other people in line at the grocery stores ahead of me, when they have small purchases.

At Children's Place they don't take your email printout with the coupon code on it so I always try to find a mom who looks a little frazzled or with a few kids and hand it to her. I usually get a big smile and thank you. I always tell the staff I am going to do it so they don't get upset.